type / letter
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type
A single character made of metal or wood that is used in traditional letterpress printing. The plural is 'Lettern'.
Im Museum konnte man sehen, wie Gutenberg die einzelnen Lettern zu Wörtern zusammensetzte.
In the museum, you could see how Gutenberg assembled the individual pieces of type into words.
'Die Letter' is not a good equivalent for the English word 'letter'. It never means a letter that you send by mail. The normal German term for a letter of the alphabet is 'der Buchstabe'.
Das Wort „Haus“ hat vier Buchstaben.
The word 'Haus' has four letters.
This meaning refers to the physical printing types made of metal or wood from the era of old-style printing. You find the word in historical texts or in museum contexts.
Der Setzer ordnete die einzelnen Lettern im Setzkasten an.
The typesetter arranged the individual pieces of type in the type case.
This meaning of 'Buchstabe' (letter of the alphabet) is outdated or poetic. Do not use 'Letter' in everyday German; use it only if you want to create an elevated, literary style.
Die alten Lettern auf dem Grabstein waren kaum noch zu entziffern.
The old letters on the gravestone were barely decipherable anymore.
A common poetic phrase is 'in goldenen Lettern' (in golden letters). It is often used metaphorically to express that something is very famous, important, or unforgettable.
Sein Name wird in goldenen Lettern in die Geschichte des Vereins eingehen.
His name will go down in the club's history in golden letters.
letter
'Buchstabe' and 'Letter' can both mean a single written character. 'Buchstabe' is the normal word in everyday life and at school. 'Letter' is rare today, elevated, or poetic when it simply means a letter. In addition, in traditional printing, 'Letter' can be a small character made of metal or wood. Learners may confuse the words because they look similar and refer to written characters. In practice: for normal texts and the alphabet, you almost always say 'Buchstabe'; 'Letter' is more suitable for old printing techniques or for a special style.
Im Museum zeigt die Führerin alte Lettern aus Metall.
In the museum, the guide shows old metal pieces of type.
David erkennt den Buchstaben auf dem Schild sofort.
David immediately recognizes the letter on the sign.